The Russo Brothers to Receive Director of the Year Award at CinemaCon

Good news! Avengers: Endgame directors Anthony & Joe Russo will be honored as Director of the Year at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, the annual convention announced on Wednesday.

“From the beginning with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the Russo Brothers have proven that they have a story to tell; and they’ve brought the Marvel Cinematic Universe to levels that others could only have dreamed of,” Mitch Neuhauser, Managing Director of CinemaCon said. “With the impending release of Avengers: Endgame, they’re sure to continue the critical and box office successes as they thrill, surprise and entertain audiences around the globe.”

The Russo Brothers will be presented the special honor during the Big Screen Achievement Awards ceremony on Thursday, April 4 at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Back in 2018, Director of the Year was award to Black Panther’s Ryan Coogler.

The Russo Brothers last steered Avengers: Infinity War to $2.04 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time and also the fourth biggest earner in Marvel history. Its domestic total of $678 million became the second-biggest for 2018, behind only Black Panther at a rare $700 million.

Avengers: Endgame, which released the final trailer on Thursday, is expected to become the biggest film of 2019 when it launches late April. The fourth Avengers is both Infinity War sequel and the culmination of the first chapter of the shared Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“Our approach has always been… when we look at the process, as with [screenwriters] [Stephen] McFeely and [Christopher] Marcus, it is simply the same thing in the way Winter Soldier relates to Civil War, and the way Civil War relates to Infinity War,” Joe Russo previously told SlashFilm about filming two Avengers movies back-to-back.

“These two movies will also relate, there is a narrative thread that is connecting these films. But at the same time, there is independence in terms of what the experience is or where the story goes. It is not a true two-parter. And I think the two-parter concept came back when Marvel decided that they were going to culminate the MCU, then it was going to be a two-movie deal. But as we developed the film, in execution, it ended up being more of two singular expressions.”

The Russo Brothers are set to next direct Cherry, reuniting them with Spidey star Tom Holland in their first directing gig outside Marvel franchise since 2014.

As for CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), it will run from April 1 – 4 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Avengers: Endgame Writers Explain Why Captain Marvel Was Not Around So Much

There have been speculations about the fact that Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) was given a limited role in Avengers: Endgame, though her presence had the potential to overshadow the story of the original members of the team. Captain Marvel is one of the most powerful superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She is one of the few people with a shot at being able to take down Thanos in a fight. That also meant she had the potential to resolve many of the conflicts in Endgame on her own.

The reveal of Captain Marvel happened during the post-credits scene of her solo movie, setting her up to join the Avengers for Endgame. However, the role of Carol Danvers in the film was more limited than fans might have e expected. She found Tony Stark in space, then helped to fight against Thanos, and was gone from the movie until the final battle. It was explained than Captain Marvel was helping other worlds after the Snap, which is why she was unable to assist during the time travel adventure to collect the Infinity Stones.

Recently, the Endgame writers have finally set the record straight. Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely revealed why they restricted their use of the super-powerful Captain Marvel. The reason is that it would have been “unfair” to the original six Avengers having an outside character come in and solve their problems.

“Well, she was always going to be in it, but we did not have much to go on. They [Marvel Studios] had cast her, and that was it,” Christopher Markus told Vanity Fair. “It’s a tough balance to strike when you have a character that powerful, who you are going to bring in. And you do not want it to seem like, ‘Well, we just brought in this person who can clean the house, that we could not clean in the previous film.’ So we had to decide on a balance between not making it feel like a cameo, but also not having her around so much that she solved all the problems for everybody.”

Stephen McFeely also pointed out that Captain Marvel’s superpowers had the potential to fix all of the problems in the film. And the purpose of this story was to focus on the original members of the team.

“It also was not the point of the movie,” McFeely explained. “The point of the second film was saying goodbye to the original six Avengers, so their stories were gonna be way up here. We also had the same issue a little bit with Black Panther in Infinity War because people go, ‘Oh! Black Panther, he is coming back two months from now! Alright, I’m going to get a lot of Black Panther!’ And he got some. I mean, we went to Wakanda, but he was not the lead character. So it was not fair to the other six Avengers to have Captain Marvel come in and solve all their problems. It did not seem like good storytelling.”

The duo also had their unique challenge of scripting a character who first filmed on Avengers: Endgame before he own standalone movie under directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden.

“So we sat with them and showed them the [Endgame] draft; we said, ‘Here is how she works in our movie, and here is how she sounds. Do you think this version of her, the version we had to decide on for our movie, that is 20 years after the hypothetical movie you are going to make – and have you done anything that would force you to do anything you did not want to do previously?’” Stephen McFeely told Backstory Magazine. “It was fine. But we certainly got their input.”

The Endgame screenwriters did review the Captain Marvel script during filming on Endgame, but according to Christopher Markus, “It was informative, but anything, it was too late to make any changes to ours.”

Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame are now available on Digital HD and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray.

Marvel Writer Dan Slott Has an Issue with Spider-Man Killing in Avengers: Endgame

Marvel Comics writer Dan Slott, who has written more issues of Spider-Man than almost anybody in the publishing history of the character, was none to keen on one particular element of Spidey portrayal in Avengers: Endgame. And, so, the issue is not his relationship with Tony Stark/Iron Man, but rather the moment, late in the movie when the blip happened, all superheroes, including Spider-Man (Tom Holland), returned just in time to help remaining Avengers against Thanos and his troops. The battle ensured, and at one point, Peter Parker got surrounded by Outriders, forcing him to activate Instant Kill on his Iron Spider Suit and used it against them. However, this particular moment did not sit well with Dan Slott as he admitted on Twitter, writing “Peter Parker shouldn’t kill.” He said that even in these circumstances, Peter should not resort to lethal force though.

Confession:
There was 1 moment I did NOT like in all of AVENGERS: ENDGAME.

This.

Peter Parker shouldn’t kill. Even when it comes to Thanos’ evil army of alien spacehounds.

Dan Slott has been sharply critical of Zack Snyder’s DC films in the past, a series that previously drew criticism because the climax of Man of Steel included Superman executing Zod, something John Byrne had done in equally controversial comics in the 1980s. After fans got predictably upset at his (fairly mild) criticism of Avengers: Endgame, Slott clarified himself a few times, that the statement was just his opinion. And since Peter Parker is a fictional character, one person’s opinion is not binding. Later, Slott added that superheroes fans, in general, have an easier time to ignore the logical and scientific issues with characters who fly and have super strength than they actually do with those characters avoiding deadly force.

A lengthy conversation regarding the matter then has started in the comments section of his tweet. As previously mentioned, some are with Slott regarding this issue, sticking to Peter Parker’s age-old core principle of no killing, just like DC’s Batman. However, there are several counter-arguments to this, including the notion that the Outriders are mindless beings, and it was either him who is dying or them, so Peter had no choice at that point. Another theory made is that it was never explicitly said that Instant Kill actually kills Spider-Man’s adversaries.

Whether or not Spider-Man killing in this Joe and Anthony Russo-directed flick is justified is a discussion that will be continuing. It is no secret that Marvel Studios is attempting to approach their version of the superhero differently in order to separate him from his predecessors, but it should not be at the expense of the principles he has known for. Prior to Endgame, Peter was seemingly sticking to the character’s code from the comics. He has proven to be anti-kill in Spider-Man: Homecoming, when he even saved Vulture (Michael Keaton) before handing him off to the police. With this one instance already under scrutiny, it will be interesting to see how his battle sequences moving forward are handled.

There is also a constant give-and-take among creators and the audience as it pertains to adaptations of comic book films. In most cases, the version that comes to the screen won’t be a 1:1 adaptation of the version on the page. That means sometimes you’ll get people like veteran comic book writer Mark Waid, whose Kingdom Come presented the definitive Superman for a generation of fans, being passionately angry about Man of Steel, and Dan Slott being annoyed by some elements of Endgame. He later acknowledged as much, saying that he still holds characters like Peter Parker to “a different metric” personally.

“Avengers: Endgame” Officially Passes Avatar to Become the Highest-Grossing Film of All Time

After nearly three months of release, Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame has snagged an impossible achievement, becoming the top-grossing film of all time. The record has been held ever since James Cameron’s Avatar, with that movie’s achievements holding tight to the record for a decade. At San Diego Comic-Con this year, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed the news as he took the stage to announce the MCU’s upcoming slate of movies, first taking a moment to celebrate the astonishing achievement. Still, it’s unclear exactly what the current Endgame figures are, though its projections through the weekend will see it passing Avatar’s $2.789 billion at the worldwide box office.

(Photo: Box Office Mojo – Updated: July 22, 2019)

“A huge congratulations to the Marvel Studios & Walt Disney Studios teams. Thank you to the fans around the world who lifted Avengers: Endgame to these historic heights,” Disney Studios co-chairman/chief creative officer Alan Horn shared in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter.

From the weekend Avengers: Endgame landed in theaters, the blockbuster began shattering a number of box office records, starting with the largest opening for a movie both domestically and worldwide. In the opening weekend, Endgame took in $357.1 million in the domestic and $866.5 million internationally, for a staggering $1.22 billion.

Making the achievement even more impressive are the movies that came close to taking the spot from Avatar, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), which stalled out at $2.06 billion.

“Of course, even with the passage of a decade, the impact of James Cameron’s Avatar remains as powerful as ever. The astonishing achievements of both of these movies are ongoing proof of the power of films to move people and also bring them together in a shared experience,” Alan Horn said. “The talented filmmakers behind these worlds have much more in store. And we look forward to the future of both the MCU and Pandora.”

Earlier this year, Disney successfully acquired the rights to a majority of 20th Century Fox’s assets, that includes Avatar. The franchise looks to give the Marvel Cinematic Universe a run for its money in upcoming years, as James Cameron is developing four sequels to the originals, and the first of which is already set to hit theaters in December of 2020.

Last month, Avengers: Endgame earned a special re-release, in addition to some unseen footage in hopes of adding more tickets to its already massive tally.

Avengers: Endgame is now still playing in select theaters. The film hits Digital HD on July 30 and Blu-ray/DVD on August 13.

“Avengers: Endgame” Writers Reveals Gamora’s Post-Endgame Fate

After the events of Avengers: Endgame, the fate of Gamora (Zoe Saldana) has been a big question mask. Even though fans have debated whether the character was dusted in Iron Man’s (Robert Downey Jr.) snap at the end of the movie, it appears that the time-traveling Zen-Whoberian is alive and well. That is, of course, according to Avengers: Endgame screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

Earlier in the day, the Endgame writers had their very own panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. And while there, Markus and McFeely confirmed that to their knowledge, the time-traveling Gamora from 2014 survived Tony Stark’s snap. They explained that the character slipped away, and anticipated her story picking back up in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

It should be explained that the version of Gamora that traveled through time in Endgame was a version of the character before we saw even in Guardians of the Galaxy, hence the reason some thought she might have been snapped. At that time, Gamora was still technically part of Thanos’ force.

Earlier last month, Avengers: Endgame filmmakers, the Russo Brothers, skirted around the question, playing coy and not hitting the question head-on.

“This argument could be that Tony Stark wished away all the evil,” Joe Russo said. “Was she evil or just the enemy? Is she still alive? Who knows? That is a story for another time.”

“And if Tony wanted to get rid of Thanos and his entire army, was she still part of his army?” Anthony essentially went on to echo that sentiment.

The timeline is still a bit murky when it comes to James Gunn’s work onGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, although it is fully expected he was well aware of the events of the last two Avengers films when writing the script. The director did, after all, eventually get credit as an executive producer on the movies. Either way, the Guardians threequel is shaping up to be a jam-packed affair, with some other reports that suggested characters like Moondragon, the High Evolutionary, and Lylla would be making an appearance.

Rocket's creator is the High Evolutionary, Drax is in for a big surprise when he discovers his daughter is alive. Rocket also gets a love interest in the form of Lylla. Nebula and Star Lord will grow into closer friends.

So, do you think the Guardians will run into Gamora in Vol. 3? Share with us in the comments!

Avengers: Endgame launches on digital July 30 ahead of a home media release on August 13. Spider-Man: Far From Home is still in theaters while Captain Marvel hit digitally May 28 and landed in Blu-ray collections June 11.

“Avengers: Endgame” Takes a Big Jump in Catching Avatar, Less Than $7 Million Away

Avengers: Endgame is now on Avatar’s tail at the global box office. The Marvel Studios’ flick has earned another $2.8 million this weekend, bringing its worldwide box office total to $2.781 billion. At this time of writing, that puts Endgame’s box office behemoth a mere $7 million shy of typing Avatar’s $2.788 billion box office record.

Check out the chart below.

(Photo: Box Office Mojo – Updated: July 15, 2019)

For his part, Avengers: Endgame co-director Anthony Russo is trying not to think about whether the movie will catch or top Avatar.

“I mean, look at it, I know it sounds very sensational, and all but I try not to focus on it because there is no – even if we do not pass Avatar, there is no way I want to have a shred of regret about anything associated with this movie,” the filmmaker said at the MTV Awards. “So I refuse to kind of consider it, you know?”

During a press tour for Avengers: Endgame, directors Anthony and Joe Russo expressed, “We poured our hearts and soul into Avengers: Endgame, hoping to tell a story that would inspire audiences around the world. Our family of cast and crew all felt honored to be entrusted with bringing the Infinity Saga to a close. To Kevin Feige, everyone at Marvel and Disney, and the incredible, global community of fans, thank you.”

Avengers: Endgame is now being re-released in select theaters. The film will be hitting digital on July 30 and available in Blu-ray on August 13.

MCU: The Difference Between “The Snap” and “The Blip”

Ever since the end of Avengers: Infinity War last year, fans of Marvel Cinematic Universe have referred to the biggest event that wiped out half of all life on Earth, and across the galaxy – as “The Snap.” It makes sense, considering Thanos literally snapped away half the population after accumulating all of six Infinity Stones. However, it works more as a movie-going term, considering not everyone knows how it all went down.

The people on the streets of various cities and towns across the planet, far removed from the Battle of Wakanda (Black Panther), would likely refer to it as something else, especially after everyone returned in Endgame. And with Spider-Man: Far From Home, finally it gives us a different term for this event, with the students of Midtown High referring to their disappearances and return as “The Blip.”

Recently, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige spoke with Fandango about the nomenclature, explaining how it all differentiates in the MCU.

“It came pretty fast. We always referred to it as the Blip, then the public started referring to it as the Snap,” Feige explained. “We think it is funny when high school kids just call this horrific, universe-changing event the Blip. We have narrowed it down. The Snap is when everyone disappeared at the end of Infinity War. And The Blip is when everybody returned at the end of Endgame. And that’s how we’ve narrowed in on the definitions.”

Actually, not everyone knows what happened in Wakanda, even though Steve Rogers/Captain America refers to the Mad Titan by name when conducting his support group in Endgame. So it stands to reason that not everyone actually knows about Thanos snapping his fingers, or that they’d even refer to the disappearances of friends and family so colloquially.

At least we now have some defining terms for two of the most significant events to take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hopefully, we will get more stories to explore the five-year time period between “The Snap” and “The Blip,” so we could learn more about how the world managed to move on and adapt to these horrible events.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is globally playing in theaters now. Avengers: Endgame will arrive digitally on July 3o and Blu-ray on August 13.

Avengers: Endgame Officially Getting Re-Released With New Footage

It looks like Avengers: Endgamemight be able to beat Avatar’s massive box office record after all. The movie has lost the majority of its momentum by now, almost two months after its initial release, but Avengers: Endgame is about to get another major boost to ticket sales. No, it is not just because Spider-Man: Far From Home is arriving in theaters in July. Avengers: Endgame is indeed hitting theaters for a second round, along with some additional footage that did not make it into the official cut in April.

While attending the press junket for Spider-Man: Far From Home in London, Brandon Davis from Comicbook had a chance to speak exclusively with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who confirmed that Avengers: Endgame would be heading back to the big screen for a theatrical re-release. Not only that, this version of the film will arrive with extra scenes that were not included in the first theatrical release.

“We’re doing that,” Kevin Feige said of an Endgame re-release with new footage. “I don’t know if it has been announced. And I don’t know how much… Yeah, we are doing it next weekend.”

So, Avengers: Endgame is now coming back to the big screen with new footage, which is an incredibly exciting announcement given the hype around the film. What’s even more exciting is the fact that Endgame is arriving next weekend, and fans can see it again before the premiere of Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 2.

This action should also help Avengers: Endgame tackle the immense box office hurdle that is James Cameron’s Avatar. As of Wednesday morning, Avatar still holds the global box office record of all time with $2.788B. Meanwhile, Avengers: Endgame is very close to that number, with a current total of $2.750B. It has looked as though the final chapter of this Infinity Saga would not be able to topple Cameron’s sci-fi epic, but the re-release with new unseen footage could do the trick.

And remember to be on the lookout for a new version of Avengers: Endgame next weekend!

“Avengers: Endgame:” The Second Movie Ever to Cross $800 Million Domestically

Thanks to an extended holiday weekend, the latest Marvel Studios film eventually has become the second movie ever to cross $800 million at the domestic box office. In the fifth weekend in theaters, Avengers: Endgame has grossed north of $803.63 million domestically, strengthening its second spot in the market of all time.

This weekend has been exceptionally kind to the movie after a series of the larger-than-typical week over week drops. Dropping over 50% in each of the first four weekends, the four-day weekend allowed Avengers: Endgame to mark just a 25,6% drop over last weekend’s gross over $29.97 million. In total, Endgame earned an estimated $22.3 million stateside this weekend.

Despite crossing $800 million domestically, Avengers: Endgame still trails Star Wars: The Force Awakens by a healthy $133 million, an uphill battle as the Marvel property heads deeper into its theatrical release. Globally, Endgame is just $103 million away from Avatar’s highest-grossing film title, something that industry experts anticipate will not happen until Labor Day weekend, if this blockbuster can stick it out in theaters that long.

Avengers: Endgame now continues its box office run as the film moves into the second month in theaters. And the Avengers flick will be followed by Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 2 while Captain Marvel will be released digitally on May 28 ahead of a home media release on June 11.

Avengers: Endgame has officially passed Avatar, becoming the second-highest grossing film ever at the domestic box office. Its total now stands at a whopping $780 million. Star Wars: The Force Awakens remains the highest-grossing movie of all time at the domestic box office with $936.6 million.

Avengers: Endgame is also the second-highest grossing film of all time worldwide. It has earned $2.56 billion globally, passing James Cameron’s Titanic. At the worldwide box office, now Endgame still trails Avatar’s $2.78 billion total by $224 million.

Opening with $350 million domestically and $1.2 billion worldwide, Avengers: Endgame immediately became a threat for the all-time box office crowns. Crossing the $2 billion mark in just the blink of an eye, the movie remains on pace to surpass Avatar and top the $2.7 billion worldwide gross of the 2009 sci-fi epic. As Endgame inches closer to that milestone, it has just beaten James Cameron’s film in the U.S.

(Box Office Mojo chart – Updated: May 19, 2019)

During a press release issued when Avengers: Endgame had its first $1 billion global opening in box office history, Walt Disney Studios chairman, Alan Horn, said, “Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios team have continued to challenge notions of what is possible at the movie theatre both in terms of storytelling and at the box office.”

“Though Avengers: Endgame is far from an end for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, these first 22 movies constitute a sprawling achievement, and this weekend’s monumental success is a testament to the world they have envisioned, the talent involved, and their collective passion, matched by the irrepressible enthusiasm of fans around the world.”

So, what do you think about this record of Avengers: Endgame? Let us know in the comments!

Avengers: Endgame is still playing in theaters. Other upcoming MCU film is Spider-Man: Far From Home which swings into theaters on July 2.

Captain Marvel Suit in “Avengers: Endgame” Was Entirely CG

After the debut in her own film in the last few months, Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), better known as Captain Marvel, certainly made an impression on the rest of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Endgame. She brought the superpower she promised, with a sweet new haircut and an updated take on her classic suit as well. However, as it turns out, Carol did not always have that suit in Endgame. In fact, the whole thing was added in the post-production process.

After the release of Endgame, during an interview with Weta Digital’s Matt Aitken, a VFX supervisor on the film, when the topic of working Captain Marvel into the story came up, Aitken explained there were actually some changes made after they shot her initial scenes.

Remember, most of Avengers: Endgame was shot before Captain Marvel, and Brie Larson filmed all of her scenes for the film in the same suit she wore for her solo outing. And when everything came together, the creative team thought it was strange if the character had the same suit for 25 years, so they ended up making a suit on their computers and added it to Carol in post.

“She was filmed with here physical costume with a great costume from the costume department, but after her sequences were filmed, it was decided by the filmmakers that her costume needed to be more different from the costume that she was wearing in the 25 years ago, whatever the era of Captain Marvel, the Captain Marvel movie,” explained Aitken. “So we ended up replacing her costume with a CG suit for all her shots.”

So when we see all of those gold shoulder pads as well as updated logos, they were all created by computers. These kind of CG effects are all around films like Endgame, but they are just much harder to notice with the naked eyes. All of the Quantum Realm suits were made with VFX as well.

What do you think of Captain Marvel’s suit in Avengers: Endgame? The film is now in theaters.